Punta de Mita, Nayarit, August 26, 2026 – Any attempt to recover the federal coastal-zone concession at Playa Las Cocinas now depends on removal of the rock barrier and full restoration of the beach, Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena said Wednesday.
Speaking during the president’s morning press conference, Bárcena said Semarnat invalidated the emergency permit used to justify the rock work and later revoked the concession. She said the agency is discussing an intervention strategy with Cantiles de Mita S.A. de C.V. and is awaiting the company’s response.
The issue returned to the national press conference after Puerto Vallarta journalist Susana Carreño asked why the rock barrier remained more than a month after the concession was revoked. Bárcena said a financial penalty cannot substitute for physical restoration. Removal and repair of the affected beach must happen ahead of any concession decision.
Semarnat formally revoked Cantiles de Mita’s Zofemat concession on July 20 after a technical, legal and administrative review concluded that unauthorized works and installations had been placed within the federal coastal zone. The resolution followed joint work involving Semarnat, Profepa, the federal Attorney General’s Office and agency specialists.
The July decision also outlined a broader restoration approach that includes recovery of coastal vegetation, rehabilitation of the site, nature-based measures and unobstructed passage along the beach.
The sequence matters because revoking permission did not remove the structure. PVDN reported in June that the rock containment works exceeded conditions attached to a protection-use concession. That classification required the coastal surface to remain in its natural state and did not permit permanent infrastructure.
The dispute predates the demonstrations that escalated this spring. Profepa temporarily shut high-impact work at the site in August 2025 after inspectors were not shown the required environmental authorization. DINE later maintained that the rock barrier was covered by an emergency notice filed in July 2025 and accepted by Semarnat. The subsequent federal review reached a different compliance finding.
Days after Semarnat released its June findings, Grupo DINE said it was prepared to remove the rock barrier voluntarily through a plan coordinated with environmental agencies and carried out under the required approvals. The developer continued to maintain that the work addressed coastal erosion and had official authorization.
Bárcena’s statement Wednesday now fixes the order of decisions. The rocks must come out, the beach must be restored and only then will Semarnat consider returning the concession.
The conflict grew as residents of Punta de Mita and Emiliano Zapata challenged the rock work beside the Montagne luxury development. The communities rejected an earlier proposal to adjust the barrier by five meters, saying it would not recover enough beach or protect turtle nesting habitat.
The federal case centers on Zofemat, generally the 20-meter coastal strip next to the beach. A concession permits limited, temporary use of that national property. It does not transfer ownership of the beach.
With the concession still revoked, the federal process now turns on an agreed intervention plan and the restoration work itself. Semarnat’s stated sequence leaves no concession review ahead of removal and rehabilitation at Playa Las Cocinas.
